Massena Democrats nominate three for town council seats, Gray to run unopposed

MASSENA  While the results wont be official until November, with no contested races on the ballot the future appearance of Massenas Town Council was pretty much decided Monday night.

Appearing on the Democratic party line and seeking seats on the town board will be Albert N. Nicola, who will be seeking his seventh term on the town board; Thomas C. Miller, who was appointed to the board two months ago and will be seeking his first full term; and Samuel D. Carbone Jr., who will be seeking his first term on the board.

The Democrats nominated no one to challenge Town Supervisor Joseph D. Gray, who is seeking his second term.

With 92 registered Democrats in attendance, the crowd on Monday was the largest Mr. Nicola said he has ever seen at such an event.

There had been speculation opponents of the on-going discussion about privatizing Massena Memorial Hospital might attend the caucus in an effort to fill the Democratic line with candidates supportive of their position. That did not happen.

The first man to be nominated was Mr. Miller, who will be seeking the remaining two years of the term that had originally been held by Robert Cunningham. Mr. Cunningham resigned this spring to accept a job with the Massena Electric Department.

Mr. Miller, who also serves as chief in the Massena Volunteer Fire Department, was nominated for the position by Massena Village Police Chief Timmy J. Currier.

Tom is a well-respected member of our community, Mr. Currier said. He has served his community in various capacities over the years as youth sports coach, a volunteer fireman and currently as fire chief here in Massena. Tom has more than 25 years of service as a correction officer for New York state.

Mr. Nicola was nominated by former Mayor Charlie Boots, who spoke of Mr. Nicolas resumé.

Hes a lifelong resident of Massena, a graduate of Massena High School and the Pennsylvania Military College, Mr. Boots said, adding he also holds a Masters Degree from SUNY Potsdam.

After serving as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for three years, Mr. Nicola returned home to Massena to begin a lengthy career as both a teacher and a coach, even coaching football for six years after his retirement from teaching in 2001.

The final nomination of the evening came from Jodi Burke, who nominated Mr. Carbone for the seat currently held by Charles A. Chuck Raiti.

In her nomination, Ms. Burke, who serves on Massenas Democratic Committee, went through Mr. Carbones resumé, noting he graduated from Massena High School and enlisted in the Army Reserves, where he served for five years.

In 1989, Sam was hired by the New York State Department of Corrections as a corrections officer. After six months as a C.O. he was hired by the New York Power Authority as a security guard. From there he went into the mechanical maintenance apprenticeship and has currently been with NYPA for the past 24 years, she said. For the past 10 years, he has been a licensed real estate agent for Post Realty and has owned numerous rental properties.

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